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M. T. FITCH.

Sewing Machine.

No. 67,183. Patented July 30, 1867.

N. PETERS PHoTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHKNGTON. o C

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-MARY T. FITCH, OF LOCKPORT, NEW YORK.

Letters Patent No. 67,183, dated July 30, 1867.

IMPROVEMBNTIN RUFFLING-ATTAGHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, MARY T. FITCH, of Lochport, in the county ofNiagara, and State of New York, have invented a certain new and improvedltufliing-Attaehment for Sewing Machines; and I 'do hereby declare thatthe following is a full and exact description thereof, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification.

Figure 1 is a plan of my improvement.

Figure 2 is a side elevation; and

Figure 3 is a sectional detached view of the device for regulating thedegree of tension,

Like letters of reference indicate corrcspondingparts in all thefigures.

My improvement is designed to be attached to a sewing machine, when thelatter is employed in making rufiling, for the purpose of holding andregulating the tension of the straight piece of cloth to which thegathered portion of the ruflle is to be attached, which has heretoforebeen held and regulated by the hand.

The invention consists in attaching to the said straight piece of cloth,by means of a suitable hook. or clamp, a cord, which passes over apulley or rigid bearing, with a weight at the end, by which the cloth isheld with a uniform degree of tension, so essential to the manufactureof a uniform rufile; it also consists in the employment, in combinationtherewith, of a roller for keeping the two pieces of cloth separate, anda suitable device for regulating the degree of tension, which must varyaccording to the relative amount of cloth required to be gathered.

In the drawings, A represents the top or main bed-plate of any ordinarysewing machine, suitable for making ruflling; B, the raised work-tableupon which the cloth to be sewed is held and guided under the needle CD, the two pieces of cloth from which the rufile is to be made, theformer being the piece to be ruflled, and the latter the straight pieceto which the rufile is sewed. E is a cord connected at one end to thecloth D, by means of a hoolt, f, or other suitable device thatmay bereadily attached and detached, and which, after passing over a hearingor pulley, g, is fastened at the other end to a weight, H, of sufiicientsize to produce the requisite tension of the cloth. I is a standard,which may be secured to the bed-plate A in any suitable manner that willenable it to be easily detached when required. It is represented in thedrawing as fastened to a base-plate,

J, countersunk flush with the face of the tabie, and secured by screwsfrom beneath, which is provided with an enlarged opening, 7:, at oneend, into which is inserted the dove-tail base Zof the standard, whichis then slid in the slot connecting therewith, (shown in dottedlines,'fig. 1,) by which it is fastened, and in which it can be adjustedto one side or the other, as may be required. The upper end of thisstandard is formed with a horizontal arm, m, on which is loosely mountedthe pulley 9, having on each side a friction-ring, n, of chamois orother suitable material, with a washer, o, and spiral spring 11 on theouter side, and a nut, q, and setscrew r, by which the spring iscompressed, and the pulley clamped with greater or less force by thefriotionvrings, as the degree of tension may require. By this device thetension of the cloth D may be regulated at will, by simply turning thenut g, compressing or relaxing the spring, which permits the pulley toturn with greater or less freedom, according to the amount of gathersrequired in the ruflie. Although I prefer to employ the pnlleyg, and thefriction device just described, still their use is not absolutelycssentialto the successful working of my improvement. The pulley alone,or a rigid bearing, may be employed, and the tension varied by adding toor diminishing the weight H, by separate auxiliary weights, or theweight H may be made with a cup or cavity in its top, in which shot orother articles can be placed, by which the tension can be regulated.Near the needle, on the work-table, I employ a small roller, S, asshown, secured to the table in anysuitable manner, so as to be readilydetached when not required for use; or the roller may be mounted on anarm of a hearing or plate, provided with a. slot and set-screw foradjusting and fastening to the table, so as to enable the under piece tobe more readily adjusted in place, which could then be accomplished bysimply sliding it under the unsupported end of the roller. The functionof this roller is to separate the two pieces of cloth so as to leave thelower one free to be drawn in by the feed mechanism, while the upperpiece is held back by the tension of the cord attached thereto. Withoutthis roller the upper piece, by its pressure on the lower, would causesuch an adhesion and friction of the latter as to produce anirregularity and obstruction to its movement forward, which should beperfectly free and uniform. i

The use of my improvement dispenses with the extremely diliieult andlaborious operation of holding the straight piece D by hand, andaccomplishes the. desired result in a. more perfect and uniform mannerthan the most experienced and skillful operator can by the hand method.The device for regulating the degree of tension enables rufiiing of anydesired amount of gathers to be readily and evenly made, the function ofthe set-screw being to render the adjustment of the device more secureagainst accidental displacement. The roller S not only keeps the twopieces separate, but also operates as a guide to the cloth as it is fedthrouglrthe machine.

My attachment is cheap and simple in construction, and can be readilyattached to and detached from the machine. as the occasion may require.

What I eluim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

The combination of the weight H, cord E, bearing g, and llOOlif, orequivalent, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

I also claim, in combination therewith, the roller S, arranged andoperating substantially in the manner and for the purpose specified.

I also claim the special combination of the spiral spring 12, washer 0,friction-rings n, nut and set-screw q r, and loose pulley g, with theweight H, cord E, book f, and roller S, the whole arranged and operatingas described.

In witness whereof I have horeuntosigned my name in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

MARY T. FITCH.

Witnesses M. L. BURRELL, EDWARD D. Aus'rm.

